Re: Pratt & Whitney's Embedded Software - CMM Level 3!

[Marin David Condic <condicma@bogon.pwfl.com>]

Jim Kingdon wrote:
> Well, that might be an argument for open source rather than an
> argument against it.  The big problem with trying to sell open source
> software via support contracts is that most users don't really
> need/want the support.  But if the nature of the product is that most
> users will need some customization and help, then that particular
> problem isn't as bad (now, it isn't really the way to get massive
> numbers of sites using it, but it might work out for sites which want
> to deal with this).
> 
I can see your point. From the outside vendor's perspective it is more
attractive to continually sell support & customization. I just don't
know what the powers-that-be think about this sort of thing. They
alternate between "Its a critical competitive advantage that we can't
let get out the door!" all the way to "We're an engine company, not a
software company - outsource everything!" 


> 
> Bringing it back to P&W and the Pictures-to-Code program, it is quite
> clear that someone outside P&W needs to get a bee in their bonnet and
> decide they want to make this happen (with $$$ or some other suitable
> incentive).  Has anyone asked Ada Core (http://www.gnat.com/)?  No
> idea whether they would be interested, but it seems like a conceivable
> fit.

I think a lot of what the whole toolset does is a bit far afield for
ACT. There are parts of it which would be right up their alley - sort
of. The picture compiler is, after all, just another compiler. (IMHO,
the picture compiler badly needs to be rewritten to take into account
Ada95-isms and clean up areas where experience has shown us better ways.
But unless we could get a better thing as COTS to integrate with the
rest of the system, I doubt this will happen.)

A good general diagram-to-code tool with maybe a couple of application
specific diagram formats might be a good sell here. I'd be sorely
tempted to want to be in on the development of this since I have spent a
number of years grumbling about some of the shortcomings of our existing
picture compiler! :-)

MDC
-- 
Marin David Condic
Real Time & Embedded Systems, Propulsion Systems Analysis
United Technologies, Pratt & Whitney, Large Military Engines
M/S 731-95, P.O.B. 109600, West Palm Beach, FL, 33410-9600
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